After the opening credits, a pillar of light beams from the void to slowly reveal a young woman lying upside down on a bed. From this void, a cat jumps onto her lap and she embraces him wholeheartedly. However, after a few moments she notices that the cat is covered in a strange purple liquid. She sets him down on the mattress and runs her finger across his back. The cat jolts and his fur slips off, revealing a jade metal exoskeleton.

This is just our first peek into the universe (haha) of Mars Express, Jérémie Périn’s animated directorial debut from French production studio Everybody on Deck. The story follows Mars-based private investigator Aline Ruby (Léa Drucker) and her android partner Carlos Rivera (Daniel Njo Lobé) who find their murder investigation quickly unravels into a grander conspiracy.

And why wouldn’t it? We soon discover that Mars has become an upper class haven for humanity with Earth now acting as its slums. All the while humans and androids live in an amalgamated but tense existence. There’s a lot of really strong worldbuilding here, not just from small pieces of exposition, but some amazingly evocative imagery and story beats. From the distinct architecture to the predominance of robotics in sex work, there’s a clearly defined history here and a plausible, if not consistent, use of cyberpunk technology. It also helps that the characters are given the space to really endear and ground the audience. They possess a lot of human flaws (even the androids!), which gives both drama and levity to this brutalist future wasteland.

I must admit that I’d been passively following production on this film online for a while. While I had some nagging doubts up until my viewing, I was immediately taken by the animation and style. I’m glad to say it doesn’t disappoint. Every movement appears so kinetic and well-balanced, grounded in conventional physics without losing the fantasy of this sci-fi setting. I found the camera work to be the film’s most impressive quality, fully taking advantage of the medium to create fast-flowing action scenes. There’s a scene in the middle of the film where Aline confronts another character near a fish tank; the camera switches between various angles, yet the reflection in the glass remains ever consistent. It’s so impressive, especially on just a $9 million budget.

That being said, my main nagging thought upon hearing about this film was Ghost in the Shell––a very prominent fixture in animated sci-fi, which also features investigators and follows fairly similar themes on robotic sentience and free will. When watching the film, it’s obvious that this (alongside many other pieces of sci-fi media––I see you Halo rifle) are key inspirations to Mars Express. Thankfully, I was surprised to see it didn’t just restate these themes, but rather reinterprets them with a modern take to discuss the impact of digital culture on technology and class issues. Without spoiling anything major, the film manages to follow through on these ideas with grace, not to mention various other character beats. In fact, a lot of the objects and ideas introduced throughout the film will get brought up and resolved down the line, leading to one of the most satisfying and tightly written screenplays I’ve watched in some time.

Does that mean everything flows well together? Sometimes but not always. The middle section of the film has a lot of moments where it jolts us from one idea or location to another, completely divorced from the last. One second, we’re at the feet of an uncovered escape ship located deep underground and in the next cut we’re in a red-light district. It doesn’t give some scenes enough time to breathe and even leads to some set-ups feeling a bit tangential to the overall plot.

I’m also not sure how audiences will feel towards the timing of the film’s discussion on androids and class issues. Initially, it appears to take a very pro-artificial intelligence stance, which seems a bit tone-deaf amidst the emergence of discussions around the ethics of AI in and out of the workplace. Even so, the film does seem to discuss these themes somewhat – a recurring plotline centres on the arrival of organic robotics, and what this means for the current generation of android technology. In doing so, the film makes a clear intent to question the need for such advancements other than material gain, though there’s only so much time in the film to tackle this in a satisfying way.

Despite these issues, Mars Express not only manages to avoid being derivative of its inspirations, but recontextualises them alongside equally thought-provoking ideas to create a gripping mystery and stellar animation. The work of Périn and his team have far and away outclassed so many of their sci-fi contemporaries, animated or otherwise. And on a debut film as well! Safe to say, I’m anticipating great things from this team in the future.

Mars Express was apart of the Fantastic Film Festival, and will be released on home media May 15th.